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Dear Subscribers,

Here is Update 1-2017 of FAO-BiotechNews. 

As usual, we welcome any feedback. 

With best wishes

John Ruane
The Coordinator of FAO-BiotechNews, 24-1-2017
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
E-mail address: [log in to unmask] 
FAO Biotechnology website: http://www.fao.org/biotech/ (in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian)

*** NEWS *** (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-news/en/)

1) FAO Committee on Agriculture - 25th session 

The 25th session of the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG) took place at FAO Headquarters, Rome on 26-30 September 2016. One of the documents discussed was "Achieving sustainable rural development through agricultural innovation" (COAG/2016/6), which encompassed the issue of agricultural biotechnologies. The "Summary report of the FAO International Symposium on the Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition (Rome, 15-17 February 2016)" was also provided to COAG as an information document (COAG/2016/INF/5). All documents, including the meeting report, are available at http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/coag/coag-25/list-of-documents/en/ (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). COAG normally meets every two years and is one of FAO's Governing Bodies, providing overall policy and regulatory guidance on issues relating to agriculture, livestock, food safety, nutrition, rural development and natural resource management. For more information, contact [log in to unmask]

2) Two reports on genome sequencing events

On 23-25 May 2016, FAO held a technical meeting at FAO Headquarters, Rome on the impact of whole genome sequencing (WGS) on food safety management, together with the 9th meeting of the Global Microbial Identifier. The meeting was attended by 175 participants from 50 countries and dealt with a range of topics including benefits and potential drawbacks of WGS, considerations for developing countries, key needs for global actions and potential roles of international organizations, existing initiatives on WGS of pathogens, global capacity for identification and characterization of pathogens, issues relevant to epidemiology and surveillance, issues around global data-sharing, and technical discussions on metagenomics. The 53-page meeting report is now available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6582e.pdf (950 KB). On a related subject, FAO organized a side event on 20 September 2016 dedicated to "Application of genome sequencing for sustainable agriculture and food security" during the 25th session of the FAO Committee on Agriculture. The 9-page report of the side event is available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-bq675e.pdf (1 MB). For more information, contact [log in to unmask] 

3) International Poplar Commission - 25th session 

The 25th session of the International Poplar Commission (IPC) took place on 13-16 September 2016 in Berlin, Germany. During the meeting, concurrent sessions were arranged under six themes, one of which was dedicated to "Tree improvement with focus on genomics". All relevant documents, including the IPC session report and presentations, are available at http://www.fao.org/forestry/ipc2016/92288/en/. Contact [log in to unmask] for more information. The IPC is an FAO technical statutory body established in 1947. Its sessions are held every four years for the poplar and willow community to exchange and share the progress and advances in research, silviculture, management, forest industries and markets. 

4) FAO publication on averting risks to the food chain

FAO has just released a new publication entitled "Averting risks to the food chain: A compendium of proven emergency prevention methods and tools". The 103-page document is a compendium of 23 information sheets issued over the last two years by the Food Chain Crisis - Emergency Prevention System (FCC-EMPRES) to showcase best methods and tools for good management of food chain threats and enhancing the preventive side. The publication demonstrates how the development of new technologies, tools, manuals and guidelines can facilitate monitoring, detecting, assessing and warning against threats to animal and plant health (including for fish and forests) and food safety. The 23 studies include ones on the veterinary diagnostic laboratory network (VETLAB Network), providing technical advice, training on serological and molecular techniques for disease diagnosis and a quality assurance programme on the diagnosis of major diseases, and on use of the sterile insect technique to control fruit fly pest. See http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/86c16a7f-08c6-49a9-bba0-821badda8050/ or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.

5) Decisions from Cancun: COP 13, Cartagena COP-MOP 8 and Nagoya COP-MOP 2

On 4-17 December 2016, the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 13); the 8th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP COP-MOP 8); and the 2nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (NP COP-MOP 2) took place concurrently in Cancun, Mexico. All documents and decisions (outcomes) from COP 13, CP COP-MOP 8 and NP COP-MOP 2 are available at https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2016/cop-13/documents, https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2016/cp-mop-8/documents  and https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2016/np-mop-2/documents respectively. For more information, contact [log in to unmask]

6) OIE Biological Standards Commission meeting report

The report of the latest meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Biological Standards Commission, which was held from 30 August to 2 September 2016 in Paris, France, is now available (in English, French and Spanish) from the 'Meeting Reports' section of the Commission webpage: http://www.oie.int/international-standard-setting/specialists-commissions-working-groups/laboratories-commission-reports/. The Commission is concerned with developing internationally agreed standards for laboratory diagnostic tests and vaccines for OIE-listed animal diseases of mammals, birds and bees. For more information, contact [log in to unmask]

*** EVENTS *** (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-events/en/)

22-26 May 2017, Trieste, Italy. International workshop on risk analysis for the release of GMOs into the environment. This workshop, organised by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), will teach the application of risk analysis principles and processes in regulatory decision-making for the general release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Worked examples and practical sessions will involve the evaluation of hypothetical case studies. Topics include: the theory of problem formulation in GMO risk analysis; key issues concerning animal and human health, environment and socio-economics; exploration of risk management options; risk communication within a regulatory context; and the application of mechanisms and tools. Applications may be submitted online until 19 February. See http://www.icgeb.org/biosafety-2017.html or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
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This newsletter contains news and events items relevant to agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries. Its main focus is on the activities of FAO, other UN agencies/bodies and the 15 CGIAR research centres. Items from the newsletter may be reproduced, provided that the source (FAO-BiotechNews, http://www.fao.org/biotech/) is given. 

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